The first action Lixin took was to verbally lash out at her while lecturing Mingxia here and there. Lixin hardly felt concerned about the gazes he was getting from the crowd and continued to talk to Mingxia. Ashamed by his indifference, she gulped in tightly and hid her face between her palms. Did he need to embarrass her in front of so many people?
"Can we talk somewhere else...?" Mingxia was not able to complete her sentence as soon as a familiar statue came next to her. Her smile was as bright as the sun, and she had on her body a well-fitting gown that showed off her cleavage. If she was not the prettiest, then who would be? She identified her as Zhou Yeong. She was waving at him and then blushing. Mingxia frowned.
"Zhou Yeong?" Mingxia, perplexed, looked at Lixin suspiciously. When did they become so familiar with each other? As thoughts ran through her mind, Lixin picked up his phone, typed some messages, excused himself, and headed straightaway to Luyang's room. Seeing that she was ignored, Zhou Yeong taciturnly stared at his retreating statue. She looked at Mingxia, and her face became friendly.
"Hi…"
It was an awkward atmosphere between the two sisters. This was the second time they had met physically, aside from the time they met in Beijing. Zhou Yeong took it as an opportunity to pull out her hand for a shake. Jealousy sprung after she scrutinized Mingxia's simple but expensive gown. From the pair of jewelry and clothing she had on her body, all from important, quality brands, Yeong was greened with jealousy as not only was she wearing a trending brand, but she and Lixin had matching pairs of outfits!
"Sister Ming, long time no see. I hadn't expected your arrival at this party. I heard you were not the social type." Yeong purposefully made it more uncomfortable for Mingxia. Yeong laughed it off like it was some kind of joke and proceeded again. "Sister Xia, when did you and Mr. Mu meet for you to get so intimate with him? The crowd would think you were his mistress."
Did Yeong address her as Lixin's mistress?
Mingxia's eyes blinked in doubt that she had not heard her right. The next thing she knew, Butler Ke was calling in for her. She followed suit upstairs, permitting Yeong to growl in envy. Soon enough, Mingxia was in front of a door, and she only pulled open the handle when Butler Ke gave her permission to. Inside the room was an old man with a walking stick, Mu Lixin, and Mu Luyang, the celebrant, as she pretty much guessed, and surprisingly, she was correct as she heard the old man scolding the young child who went by the name Mu Luyang. Her footsteps prompted them to raise their heads. Lixin emotionlessly glared at her.
"How did you get in here?" His words were thick and full of mockery, leaving Mingxia and Butler Ke in awe. Butler Ke awkwardly bowed his head and left the room.
"Butler Ke said you needed me."
"Get Out!" Mu Lixin screamed, not caring if he hurt her feelings or not. Mingxia stood there frozen, not used to this side of Lixin, and Yichen's words rang in her ears. She truly understood why Yichen addressed her as lucky. Mingxia was indeed lucky to have a soft spot in Lixin's heart, but despite that, the luck ran out too fast. He coldly glared at her, and when she was about to speak, the little child, Mu Luyang, ran forward, grasping her hand. The little, firm palms wrapped around her slender finger, and immediately she glanced at Lixin.
Was he the reason Lixin came here without her? Mingxia squatted down to see the child's face in full view. She clasped her palms around his chubby face and pecked it. Mingxia had always had a soft spot for little kids, so it was not surprising that her motherly instinct kicked in.
"He is not a baby! Stop treating Luyang as one." Lixin stepped in front of Mingxia, putting a long distance between Mingxia and Luyang. His attitude was so much different from that of Mingxia, whom she grew fond of. He had completely changed. Mingxia firmly glanced at the child, who seemed to be biting Lixin, and let go of him.
"Why are you angry at me?" Her voice increased as she stepped forward, closing the gap between the two of them. "If you are, just say so! Stop using abusive words on me." Mingxia did not wait for him to complete his statement; she pulled Luyang into her embrace and consoled him. According to Chinese beliefs, when the birthday boy cried on his birthday, Mingxia whispered it into his ears, which he kept shut. His eyes blinking at Grandpa Mu Jialing, he ran off quietly to get dressed. Stunned by this, Jialing got up to his feet, ready to appreciate the young woman who had saved the day when Lixin gripped her ponytail toughly.
"Am I?" This time around, Mingxia could not keep up her bold attitude and became scared of Lixin. So this was his true color? Her face became stoic, and she refused to talk. "Answer me! Why are you here?"
"To give Yang his gift! I will be gone after that; hence, do not be annoyed that I would be degrading you. I won't, I promise." Mingxia freed her hair from his grip, strode to where Luyang was, and gave him a little pat on the head. He was very cute and obedient; why was he being shouted at? She found it difficult to comprehend. "Xiao Yang, can I call you that?"
Luyang nodded, clutching his toy tightly. Mingxia saw him becoming more reserved than before, and she smiled happily. The boy was not bad enough. She brought out her hands for a shake, and Jialing blocked her from doing so. In the beginning, he was grateful to her, but now she was only overdoing her luck. Luyang rarely talked to outsiders and only threw tantrums when they tried their best to satisfy him. Among the little children of the Mu, Luyang was the toughest and most reticence-spoiled brat. He never spoke and became chaotic when he did not get what he wanted.
"Do not waste your time. Luyang scarcely shakes strangers." Jialing, standing behind her, told her to give up. Lixin followed suit and grabbed her arms from behind, ready to drag her away from him. As soon as she was about to give up, Luyang held her palms and fell into her cuddle. They were all astonished. "Xiao Yang? Are you okay?" Jialing fell into a perplexing moment, wondering what witchcraft Mingxia had done to make Yang suddenly come to her. Not even Lixin had been able to do this. Years after his parents had a car accident and died, Luyang, being the only survivor, was traumatized by this; therefore, in the nearest future, he never spoke again.
"Show off!" Lixin mumbled invidiously, while in his heart he admired her more. Lixin had to admit honestly that she did have a good hidden talent that he was soon to harvest for his benefit. "Take him downstairs; the audience has been waiting." He said it emotionlessly, pulling open the door for the both of them, holding onto Grandpa's arms, and leading them downstairs.
Mingxia grinned happily, seeing his kind gestures and seeing all her previous anger vanish. She carried him protectively up to her chest area and took him downstairs. When she felt an arm on her waist tugging her into a warm embrace, Mingxia gazed up at Lixin's face and became flushed. This was just so cute!
Unfortunately for them, that was not what the crowd thought once they saw them. Their arrival was announced by a white spotlight above, focused on the three, while Jialing took another route to the ground floor. Gossip was heard from the crowds, all wondering who the feminine figure next to Young Master Mu was. They had never seen such beauty in Wuhan. From her gracious, slender body figure to her petite face and long hair, Mingxia elegantly posed as the true mistress of the Mu family. Too bad they had no idea who the woman was.
Around the corner, Zhou Yeong was fuming in anger. She had pleaded with her damned stepfather to let her represent him for the young master Mu's cousin's birthday party, and after so much persuasion, he agreed, and here she was being the third wheel. Since the day they met, Yeong has found it impossible to get rid of Lixin from her mind, which is when she realized that she fell so hard for him at first sight. Yeong tugged at her chest, swallowing her humiliation of ignorance and keeping it together. Tonight was supposed to be hers with Lixin, as she had imagined in her dream, but despite this, it turned out that he actually came here with her crippled step-sister, Zhou Mingxia! Her heart began to race, picturing the two of them together. When had they gotten together for him to hold her so intimately?
Was it only a rumor that Mu Lixin was gay and despised women?
The same opinion that went through her mind was also the same one that sparked the packed crowd's curiosity. If they had known earlier, they would have come with phones and cameras. This news was legit and hot, yet there was no evidence to show for it. Lixin held her arms carefully and protectively, helping her navigate through the noisy crowd. He could sense Xiao Yang was scared, so he did not bother introducing him to the crowd; rather, they took a U-turn to their reserved seat of honor. They reached their reserved seats, and Lixin dropped them both and took his steps to the stage.
"Xiao Yang is not feeling like greeting the crowd. The party can start." As soon as he was done, Lixin flew off the stage, and the minute he was about to go to his seat, a daring woman came out all flared up. She was identified as Mu Zaizai, Lixin's second aunt.
"Is there a need to celebrate such an autistic child when we know he has limited days to leave? We should be planning his funeral rather than having a good time with him!"